Obligations for the night complete. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to stressing about Heath and my mom, try and figure out how to solve my money issues on the up and up, and start worrying about how bad I’m gonna screw up being co-captain, but for tonight, I just want to forget it all.

At the bar, I grab a Jack and Coke and circle the party. I don’t see any of my teammates, but I spot some of the guys from the baseball team.

“Hey, Mario.” I lift my glass in greeting. He and a few other baseball guys live just down the street so we’re tight. He opens his stance up to let me into the circle. The other guys are all huddled around someone’s phone.

“What’s up, Payne?”

“Not much, man.” I point to the guys. “Some chick make the unfortunate decision to send one of you nudes?”

Mario shakes his head. His gelled blond hair holds perfectly in place and I run a hand through mine, wondering if I look as rough as I feel. “Nah, nothing like that. One of the girls on the volleyball team is some sort of heiress.”

“Freshman?”

“Transfer. Got busted for buying her way into school in California.”

An heiress at Valley? Buying her way into college? My brows pull down in disbelief.

“I think that’s her over there in the red dress.” Mario looks over my shoulder, and I turn to face that direction.

She’d be easy to spot even if she weren’t wearing a dress the color of a fire engine, but as it is, there’s absolutely no way to miss her. Long, tan legs and blonde hair that hangs in loose waves, she looks more California surfer girl than rich bitch.

She’s the only person at this event standing by herself. She’s holding a glass in one hand, perfectly poised and put together but slouched like she’s given up any pretense of pretending to have a good time.

“She’s hot. Hot enough I’d let her be my sugar momma,” Clark, one of the guys standing nearby, says as he steps into our conversation.

“I’d give twenty bucks to see you try,” Mario says with a shake of his head.

Clark tips his beer to Mario’s and clinks the bottles together. “You’re on.”

“This should be entertaining.”

I nod in agreement and watch as Clark weaves through people to get to Surfer Princess. He tosses a smirk back our direction when he’s a few paces from her and then goes for it.

She’s tall and the heels she has on make it so that I can see over Clark’s big head and watch her expression as he gives what I can only imagine is the worst pickup line ever. Clark is a good guy but about as smooth as a cat’s tongue.